Vegan Christmasy Red Cabbage Soup with Cinnamon Croutons
This soup has been an absolute Christmas classic in my family for a long time. Honestly, I must say I was a little skeptical before I tried it the first time. But after eating the first spoon, all doubts were gone immediately. This soup is wonderfully creamy, fruity in taste due to the orange, and has a crunch thanks to the cinnamon croutons. In addition, with spices like ginger and and cloves, the soup totally tastes like Christmas. Simply wonderful! To make sure you don't have to search for all the whole spices in the soup before serving it, you can pack them together in a spice bag,but alternatively, it also works with a tea bag.
It's probably a tradition in many families to eat red cabbage at Christmas. If this is too boring for you, this soup is a perfect alternative. It can be served as a main course or an appetizer. We topped it with orange, cinnamon croutons, and cilantro. Of course, if you don't like the latter, you can use parsley instead or omit the herbs altogether.
The soup and oranges can easily be prepared one day in advance. Just store them in the refrigerator overnight. However, the cinnamon croutons taste best when they’re freshly pan-fried - otherwise, they lose some crunch. But luckily, this is done quickly! It doesn't matter if you use spelt or wheat rolls or toast – it works with all alternatives and tastes very similar.
Just warm up the soup when the rest of your meal is cooked and add the fresh toppings. Well, if that's not perfect for a stressful Christmas day!
Vegan christmassy Red Cabbage Soup with Cinnamon Croûtons
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 1 kg (2.25 lb) red cabbage
- 200 g (7 oz) potatoes
- 2 apples
- 2 onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 15 g (0.5 oz) ginger
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 2 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 2 allspice berries
- 3 bay leaves
- 100 ml (0.5 cup) vegan red wine
- 800 ml (3.33 cups) vegetable stock
- 200 ml (0.75 cup) coconut milk
- 1 orange (juice and zest)
- salt
- pepper
- vegetable oil for frying
For the cinnamon croutons:
- 1 toast (or roll)
- 2 tbsp (1 oz) oil (or vegan butter)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
For serving:
- 2 oranges
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
Wash and cut the red cabbage into strips. Peel the potatoes, wash the apples, and dice both. Peel the onions, garlic, and ginger and also chop them into small pieces. Place cloves, star anise, allspice berries, and bay leaves in a spice sachet or tea filter bag, tie well with kitchen twine, and set aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a pot and first sauté the chopped onions, garlic, ginger, and chili flakes over medium heat for approx. 5 minutes. Add red cabbage, potatoes, and apples, fry for another 5 minutes, and then deglaze with red wine. Add vegetable stock and the spice sachet and simmer for 30–40 minutes over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Meanwhile, peel and carefully fillet the oranges for serving. Cut the bread for the croutons into small cubes and set both aside. Place vegetable oil or vegan butter together with cinnamon in a pan and heat. Fry the bread pieces for approx. 5 minutes until brown and crispy. Then set aside.
Remove the spice sachet from the soup and add the coconut milk. Blend the soup and add the zest and juice of one orange to the soup. Then season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the croutons, filleted oranges, and fresh cilantro.
